December 2006

We're back! Back on our Blog! Two more weeks of school and then the Christmas Break. The boys are playing basketball and doing great. Claire stay busy with friends and keeps our dog "Checkers" entertained. Joan is busy with helping at the school, leading "Moms in Touch" prayer times for the school, going to BSF, helping lead a Bible Study with the women in our office, etc. etc. Drew continue to enjoy his role as a regional director with Campus Crusade for Christ. He recently had an incredible trip to East Asia. More soon!

Been A While

Well, we wanted to get our Blog going again! It's February in Atlanta, and that previous picture of our house looks much better than it does now. We're hoping to have grass come back this Spring. Atlanta has been far better than we imagined it would be. We love where we live, our new friends, and the ministry the Lord has called us to.
Drew

Moving Back to the U.S.

Yes, we will be moving back to the U.S. this summer in June. It is very sad for us to think about leaving Budapest. We've made such great friends and have truely enjoyed serving the Lord in Eastern Europe and Russia. But we sense it's time to go and the Lord is calling us to a new opportunity - to work again with the Campus Ministry in the Southeast. We will be on the team that gives leadership from Atlanta, Georgia to four states - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. Our specific role will be mobilizing our students and staff to go overseas on various types of projects. So, we will be moving to Atlanta. We don't know much about Atlanta, but it's a good location between our families. Stay tuned for more details.

Drew and Joan recently participated in an outreach to Hungarian university students. They helped with English discussions that connected students to the Gospel and more opportunities. 

Picture Problems and The Latest

All,
I am having problems loading pictures on our blog. Be patient with me and check back in a week. I hope I'll have it fixed.

We just got back from a small family vacation. We drove up to Donovaly, Slovakia to a small ski area. It's about a four drive from Budapest. The snow was incredible! Nate, Grant, and Zach spent the first day in ski school. This was their second year to ski and they did great! On the second day, Nate and Grant were going down the easy runs with Joan and I. We went with our friends the Welshs. We also took a babysitter to help with Claire. She's not old enough yet for skiing.
We had some hotel frustrations. Great hotel, but bad service. You never know what you'll get these days. Sometimes you find great customer service in Eastern Europe and other times you find the old "we don't care about the customer" kind of service. What we had was the later. :<
Drew

This weekend was our school's basketball tournament - one of the most fun events of our year! There were 4 Christian schools participating: Bucharest, Kiev, Vienna, and Budapest. Our boys and girls teams both came in second place. Fun for the whole family! 

The snow from our porch looking over our street. 

Drew, Claire, and Nate watching the sledding event. 

We've had snow on the ground for a few weeks and the boys having enjoyed sledding at the end of our street. This is Grant cruising down the hill! 

See this beautiful picture of Budapest? If you've not visited us yet, we encourage you to get it on your calendar soon! 

Joan had Claire's friend B'day party this week. Left - Kirby Ann Seely, Right - Lidia Olson. I think they had fun. I got out of the way. Drew 

This is the group pic from our staff conference. Over a thousand staff serving in Eastern Europe and Russia. 60-70% are national staff - serving in their own country. We're on the front row if you can see us. 

The Area Staff Conference - A Great Success!

Yes, the Area Staff Conference was a tremendous success! We heard over and over again how our staff, both nationals and ex-pats, were enjoying the conference. They felt the teaching of the Bible and the worship times deeply ministered to them. They enjoyed hearing from one another. They enjoyed the video reports from the different countries, etc. Drew worked very hard on the program with a great team of men and women. Their efforts really paid off! Pictures coming!

We (just Joan and Drew) had a chance to slip away to Spain for a few days. We went to the Southern coast near Malaga. It was beautiful and sunny. Not as warm as we wanted, but much warmer than Budapest. 

Claire turned 3 years old on Jan. 24th! She's such a big girl now. She enjoyed a new doll from Grammy. She likes her "babies." She is such a blessing to us! 

January 2005 Update

January is in full speed ahead for our family. Nate and Grant are back in school at the Intl.Christian School of Budapest. Because Joan worked with the boys over the three-week break, they were well-prepared to re-engage in their education. We are also gearing up to be at the Area Staff Conference between January 17-23. When Claire turns 3 on January 24th, she will start going to Hungarian Kindergarden part time. We are blessed and look forward to this new year! Drew

The Area Staff Conference Coming Soon

January 17 -24 in Hungary all the CCC staff from E. Europe and Russia will gather for a conference that only happens every three years. This is a time to encourage our staff in their walks with the Lord and in their ministries. It is also great to hear what the Lord is doing throughout the region. Drew has a big role as the program director for the conference. There is a great program in process. Our key speaker will be Dr. Joe Stowell of Moody Bible Institute. More news to come.

Joan sings Kareoke with some friends during our New Year's Eve party. We had a great evening with some friends over a 6 course meal. Our friend Steve Rodd did a great job of cooking. We've never eaten so well! 

We had good friends over on Christmas Evening. (L-R) Barbara Johnson, Steve Johnson, Jennifer Welsh, Joan. When you can't be with family for Christmas, friends are great to be with. Great snacks were partaken of and funny stories told. 

We're enjoying the Classic Board game "Sorry." Great family fun! 

It was great to have "Grammy" (my mom) with us for Christmas Day! She really liked the Polish Pottery we gave her for Christmas. And she brought lots of gifts for the kids. Drew 

This is our annual CCC Staff Christmas Party named "Christmas Adam" because we have it on Dec. 23rd. Nate, Grant, and Reed Seely played a small shepherds part. 

This is Nate with his good friend Kirk Sanders during our annual ice skating event on Christmas Eve. This year was one of the best. It wasn't as cold as last year, and many new friends came. Drew 

This is a picture of Claire in one of her Christmas dresses. After three boys, its nice to have a pretty little girl for Christmas! Drew 

Mom and I went to Prague, Czech Republic for a few days. This is mom on the famous Charles Bridge. Prague is a must-see place if you come to Europe! Drew 

Drew's Mom made it, now it's off again!

My mom made it to Budapest just fine. We're enjoying having her here. On Monday, Dec.20, I will take her to Prague for a few days. Joan is gracious to let us go. Prague is such an awesome city to visit. I'm looking forward to the journey with mom and the destination.
I'm having problems the last few days getting pictures into our blog. I'm working on getting that fixed.
Drew

p.s. On Friday, a rare thing happened. My email "Inbox" was empty!

Drew's Mom Comes to Budapest

Today, Drew's mom will arrive in Budapest. This will be a cold shock for this Southern lady. Although we did hear that it was extremely cold in Alabama. But we really look forward to having her here for Christmas. Drew plans to take her to Prague to visit for a few days.

Drew has been playing his guitar more. And Claire really likes to sing. Her favorite song is about her bunny. The little bunny doll on her lap is something she doesn't go far without. 

Our friends Dave and Shari Ginn during our team's Christmas Dinner. Dave and Shari directed the ministry in Romania for 6 years. Now they give leadership to several countries and are doing a great job! 

Nate and Grant did a great job last week in the Christmas Elementary Music Program. They are in the white shirts. Also, notice how diverse this group is. Our school has a wonderful flair of several nations. 

The Campus Crusade Women were together recently for "Women's Wednesday." They were discussing the very successful ministry strategy of "Christmas Gatherings." Joan will be hosting a Christmas Gathering in our home on Dec. 12th, inviting the moms from Zach's Hungarian Kindergarden Class. 

Drew participated in a consultation last week at our Area Headquarters. Epic Parters, four missions agencies including Campus Crusade have begun to work together to reach unreached people groups and those who are oral learners. 

Then, we let Nate try his luck with our camera. You don't see many pictures of Drew and Joan together. 

The Christmas Tree made it up! We let the kids decorate it and it turned out fine. Now we're just waiting for Santa to come!